Earlier this year, Sydney’s The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room was full of full crabs and claws for the annual Crab Carnival, but August will be bringing something much different to the CBD venue. For the fourth year, the team will be welcoming the popular Oyster Festival for a month-long celebration of shucked goodness across a range of activities, unique dishes, and offers.
This year will see the festival’s widest selection of oysters to date, with several rock and pacific varieties sourced from around the Australia coastline and showcased daily at the venue from 1st to 31st August. One such showcase will be a collaboration with the prestigious Whitehouse Institute of Design Australia, highlighting the creativity of both past and present students with sustainable design pieces inspired by the oyster. The public will vote for their favourite works, whilst also going into the draw to win a valuable Linneys 18ct white gold neoprene pearl bangle featuring an Australian South Sea pearl.
Every day of the festival from 6pm to 7pm will be the Piper Heidsieck Oyster Hour with freshly shucked ones going for $1 a pop while all day there will be champagne offers from the reputable brand, offering up $99 bottles alongside other drinks like Oyster Shooters, specially paired cocktails, and beer specials. Lagavulin will also be launching their highly anticipated 8 y.o Whiskey to celebrate the brand’s 200th anniversary, which means that their signature Penicillin Cocktail with lemon, honey, and ginger notes should be doing the rounds all month.
Other events planned include a tempting Whiskey & Oyster Masterclass hosted by former MasterChef contestant and Whisk(e)y expert Sean Baxter on Tuesday 9th August; and a Champagne & Oyster masterclass hosted by Master of Wine’s Ned Goodwin NW on Tuesday 23rd August. Of course these are in addition to the daily special Oyster Menu which has been designed by renowned Chef Sean Connolly, featuring the likes of his famed Carpet Bag Steak, which is a oyster-stuffed beef tenderloin served with proscuitto, greens, and Café De Paris sauce; the winter warming Chowder & Fries with creamy leek and oyster soup served up with duck fat chips; Chicken Fried Oyster Tacos served naked with slaw and chipotle aioli; the essential Cheeky Beef & Oyster Pot Pie – slow cooked beef cheek, oysters, barley, and ale gravy; the Pork Schnitzel & Oyster Mayo Sandwich with pork loin, house pickles, and oyster mayo on a brioche bun; and the classy Oyster Rockefellar with New Orleans white gruyere sauce, greens, and chorizo.
The festival’s fourth year will also see a big expansion to the concept, with elements of the Oyster Festival also being held at Balcony Bar & Oyster Co. in Byron Bay, and Sean’s Kitchen in Adelaide.
The Morrison’s 4th Annual Oyster Festival
When: themorrison.com.au
Where: 225 George St, Sydney
Headline image supplied and credited to Dominic Loneragan.
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